Dean pulled his baby up in front of the building and studied the dark windows. Inside, he could make out students in various ages. "You sure we should do this now?" He glanced over at his brother.
Sam didn't want to admit he was having second thoughts too. Ben cut in. "We'll be less likely to run into it during the day. If we wanna have any hope of killing it we need to lay the trap now." Ben cut in. Dean glanced back at him and over at his brother.
"He's right." Sam hurried out of the car and slammed the door behind him without looking back.
Dean sighed and followed his brother along with Ben. "So we get in, set the trap and get out?"
Sam sighed and hid the colt under his jacket. "And hope it doesn't see us. Yeah."
"Great."
Ben watched the mannerisms of the two seasoned hunters and marvelled of how at ease they were with everything. Right down to the way Dean held his gun in plain daylight. Ben had never thought of buying one. Let alone using it in broad daylight.
The few times spent skeet shooting had been extremely different. Legal, being the most proper way to describe it. He was pretty sure their weapons weren't registered or traceable. "Thanks for letting me tag along, guys." He said, mostly to Dean.
The oldest hunter barely acknowledged him and turned with a low growl.
Oh yeah, he's pissed. Ben swallowed down the discomfort and followed the brothers into the school.
-
The halls were deserted for the time being. Classes were still full, but that could all too quickly change. "I'll go this way. You guys go that way." Dean waved Sam and Ben off down a deserted hall.
"He's pissed at me isn't he?" Ben asked.
Sam looked down with surprise at the tone in Ben's voice. It sounded like he was heartbroken to think Dean was mad at him. "No, Ben. Dean is mad at me." Sam kept a lookout for any place that would be suitable to set the trap. "Alright so I think we should set up here.. Hand me the chalk?" Ben handed him the blessed chalk and he began drawing a circle on the floor. Ben scanned up and down the hall while Sam drew. "It's open and there's a backdoor if the trap doesn't work." He said almost as if to himself.
"But it will, right?" Ben looked at the tall hunter to gauge his expression.
"Yeah." Sam said darkly with a quick glance at the teen.
Sam never noticed the nervous swallow that bobbed Ben's Adam's apple.
-
Dean walked calmly down the halls and peeked into the classrooms every once in a while. Hundreds of students at the school were in danger of becoming the trickster's next target. The high school was still humming with activity despite the events just a couple days earlier. He paused when two kids appeared around a corner.
"Lucas, I'm telling you I think those guys knew something and you're telling me shut
up?"
Dean quickly ducked into a utility closet and listened. The girl talking sounded disbelieving. "We both saw what happened." She wouldn't let go and Dean could hear from they guy's grunt that he was getting annoyed.
"I don't know what the hell I saw." Lucas argued back. "I don't know how to make any sense of it!"
"And you think I do?" The girl argued back.
"You seem like you're totally at ease with all this!" He yelled a little louder than intended. Dean heard him measure his breath in the hope he wouldn't alert any of the people in the classrooms.
"You asshole!" She hissed. "You think because I didn't break down in tears with the stupid shrink, I didn't like the guys that were killed?!"
"I'm not sure what to think, Karly!"
"I may not have known them, but that does NOT mean I think they deserved to die like that. You know what you saw!" She counter commented. "We're not going insane. Those two men who saved us saw it too."
"You mean those two men who shot Terrance?"
"We would've died, Luke. Us and that Ben kid."
Dean swallowed convulsively at the thought of Ben's injuries. How much worse they could have been.
"Yeah." He heard the guy sigh deeply. "Did you find him by the way?"
Dean's pulse fluttered for a second.
"No. I went by to see him, but they said his dad and uncle checked him out."
"Two guys."
And Dean could almost imagine that damn conspiring look in the boy's eyes at that
moment.
"Yeah. So?"
"You think it was the same two guys?"
The silence thickened the air.
He realized that it was the same kids who had wanted to come with him to the hospital. He peeked out of the slit in the door and saw the two kids arguing. He glanced back the way he had come nervously and hoped he could away unseen. He should have known that wouldn't have worked. Not in broad daylight anyway.
"Hey!" Lucas called.
Dean froze with his back turned.
"You're the guy from this Friday!" He accused.
Dean cursed inwardly and tried not to act like a thief caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "Yeah? That's me." He offered a polite smile and fumbled the phone in his pocket. He really hoped Ben and Sam were done setting the trap. He hit speed dial and barely heard his brother's muffled voice from the depths of his pocket. He just hoped the two kids hadn't heard it too.
"You're the one who shot Terrance!" Karly said in shock.
Dean's expression hardened. "You told anyone what you saw?"
He noticed the guy swallowing convulsively. "We weren't the only ones who saw." He said.
Dean offered a half smirk and tipped his head. "You're the only ones still talking about it."
Karly glanced nervously up at her friend.
Dean kept backing away.
"We only told the school psychiatrist and she doesn't believe us." She said.
"Good." Dean said and glanced back. He was almost at a door. Now he just needed to
know that Sam and Ben were out before he ran for it. "Let's keep it that way."
"The police are looking for you." Lucas threatened.
Dean knew the kid was gutsy, but he probably didn't know about the colt pressing against Dean's back. "They always are." He said with a full smirk.
"We know you weren't trying to hurt anyone." The girl said quickly.
He noticed how the tall kid frowned and figured it was time to leave. He didn't really want to have to draw a gun on a couple of high school kids. He felt the door behind him and turned. He made sure to slam it behind him and started in a full sprint down the hall. He ripped the phone out of his pocket and put it to his ear. "Did you get that, Sam?!" He said in a run.
"Every word. We're in the car, waiting for you."
"Be there in a sec." Dean huffed into the cell and slammed the front door open. His brother and Ben looked up in surprise when Dean thundered out of the school. Sam was sitting behind the wheel with the engine humming. Dean jumped in and slammed the door. He didn't even get to give the order before Sam slammed the car into drive and squealed away from the curb.
The afternoon was spent back in the motel room. Sam was busy in front of the computer and Dean volunteered to get lunch. Ben followed to avoid having to read through another heavy book Sam thought could be useful. Sam had explained the importance of knowing ones enemy. Several times. Ben stopped listening after the third lecture. Dean had grinned when Ben sighed and rolled his eyes.
On the way to the same diner as before, Dean seemed much more relaxed.
"How come you're so calm?" Ben asked and tried not to let on how nervous he was.
Dean grinned, but sobered when he saw the worried expression on Ben's face. "We were raised with this stuff. Sammy and I. This is just another hunt." Ben nodded. "When you've seen what we have, it takes a lot to get a rise outta you." Dean wouldn't take his eyes off the road.
"But you save people." Ben said slowly and tried to catch Dean's eyes.
"Yeah." It was barely a whisper. "Because we don't know how to do anything else." He glanced over quickly. "It's not too late to back out?"
"I'm fine." Ben fired off. He sighed. "Don't you think it's worth it? Being a hunter I mean."
Dean squeaked in the back of his throat as conflicting emotions swelled to the surface. How could he explain himself out of that? He didn't want the boy to become a hunter, but he loved the strange serenity it gave him, knowing that he was keeping people safe.
"Yeah it is, Ben."
"Then why are you so against me doing it?"
"Because it's not a nice choice to make. And someone your age shouldn't have to make such a choice at all. There is no middle way with hunting. You either are or you aren't. You can't ever be normal again." He glanced to his right, hoping to get a reading from Ben's face. Unfortunately for Dean, the teen caught the glance and made Dean even more uncomfortable.
"I haven't been normal for a long time." Ben said slowly.
Dean couldn't have looked at the kid even if he wanted to. His chest felt heavy and his eyes burned when he thought of the innocence Ben had lost at such a young age. "I'm sorry."
Ben swallowed convulsively and finally tore his eyes away from the strong hunter. He looked down and back out at the scenery.
The stop at the diner was quick and they returned in time to see Sam sitting cross-legged on the floor, in the middle of the room, holding a candle. Dean stopped with his load of food and stared at the spectacle. "Uhh… Sammy?" Ben skirted around him and grinned at the sight of Sam's long legs curled in the lotus position. "Whatcha doin' little brother?" Dean entered cautiously, eying Sam the entire time.
"Praying." Sam said short and calmly with his eyes closed.
"Ok…" Dean glanced at Ben with arched brows. "Awkward…." He dropped the food on the table with the ruckus. "I thought you did that stuff when you showered?" Sam cracked one eye open to glare and made Dean grin. Dean turned to Ben who promptly huffed and grinned, turning away.
"Funny." Sam uncurled his long legs and pulled out a chair.. "No, I thought I could get it done before you got back. I found a binding spell for the Hagondes that's a little… specific." He arched a brow and pulled out a chicken sandwich. "I found its name too, by the way. It's roughly translated as 'Destroy Town'."
"No shit?" Dean was too busy pulling out every single item of food they had bought, to actually pick one thing and start eating. Ben was busy munching on a cheeseburger with extra dressing and lettuce. Dean figured the kid ordered extra because he wanted something to wipe off his shirt after eating. He threw the kid a napkin. "Should' a bought
you a bib."
Sam continued undeterred and reached in for his own food. "It requires you to pray to some minor gods in preparation. So that's what I was doing." Sam shrugged. Dean frowned when he noticed half of Sam's rabbit food, stuffed in the sandwich, was squeezing out in the bottom. "Says to ask the gods in advance to help with the ritual."
"It's not actually gods is it?" Ben asked between bites.
"No."
"Yes." They answered simultaneously.
Dean glared at his sibling. "You seriously think that?"
Sam shrugged again. "Yeah, Dean. I do. Might not be full gods. Might just be a demi god of some kind, but I think it's a god none the less." He released one side of his sub to point at his brother. More lettuce spilled out, but still Dean seemed to be the only one who noticed. "We've hunted gods before."
"Yeah… I remember…. Ypsilanti." Dean grumbled. "Madge and Edward Carrigan…" he growled deep in his throat. "Those fudging ugly ass mother-"
"Dean? What was the first rule?" Sam discretely tipped his head to a riveted Ben. Ben noticed and frowned in confusion.
"What?" The teen asked.
Dean rubbed his chin awkwardly and looked down. "No cussing in front of kids."
Ben frowned. "I'm not a kid!"
Dean rolled his eyes. "No of course you're not! You're a grown man of forty five!-"
"Dean!" Sam raised a brow. "Second rule?"
Dean sighed and slumped in his chair. "No arguing with kids." He dropped the cheeseburger and crossed his arms like a petulant child. Not like he got into a fight with every kid he met. There was that one kid who egged his car, but he had it coming! Dean covered a grin at the memory of calling the kid's mother and telling on him.
Ben growled and suddenly noticed the mess he had made of his tee shirt. Suddenly the bib didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"But like I was saying," Sam tried again, "We've hunted gods – or creatures claiming to
be gods - before. The Vanier. Remember that one?"
Dean nodded and frowned a little more for good measure. "Remember the town and their version of a party, too. Damn freaks!"
"Come across some pretty powerful things." Sam finished. He looked squarely at his brother. Dean returned the grim look. "I think it's important to follow the spell to the
letter."
Dean sighed and restarted on the burger. "Ok. So what does the spell call for?"
"Six white candles, one four-sided crystal, a depiction of the creature in mention and a piece of string."
"A piece of string?" Dean mocked.
"To tie around the depiction." Sam glared back.
"Alright so what do you need me to do?" Ben asked.
"To sit there and be very quiet while we perform the spell." Sam said in a no-nonsense voice. Ben sat back in his chair and crossed his arms like Dean had a moment ago.
Evening crept closer outside and the three men prepared for the binding spell. Sam and Dean were on the floor in the middle of the room. Dean was pissy because he had to "sit in a circle and chant cumbaya" as he so delicately put it. Ben was sulking because he wasn't getting to play along at all. Sam was slowly getting stressed because his brother refused to stop mocking every little thing about all the work Sam had done himself in preparation for the damn spell.
"You had to get a picture of a clown, didn't you?" The youngest Winchester grumbled and sat down in front of his brother.
Dean smirked. "You said it didn't have to be a precise likeness and the trickster is a clown spirit." Dean held up the picture of Pennyworth and pointed. "I even drew the crooked nose like the lore says."
Sam flinched and swallowed convulsively. Its white faced, red nosed, pointy toothed, filtered-hair glory sneering at him. "Dean, put it down."
"We all float down here, Sammy…" He crooned in a high pitched voice, scarily unnatural
for someone with a normally deep tone.
"Dean, seriously!" Sam plucked the picture away from his brother and slammed it against the floor with a glare.
"Just think this way too "new-agey" for us, that's all." He shrugged and sniffed the herb placed in front of him with a scowl.
"This isn't new age at all. This is an old spell, Dean," Sam grabbed the herb from his brother and put it back down, "and I'm sure it will work if you just stop dicking around!"
"Sam…" Dean tutted in mockery, "...what is rule number one?" He asked in a smart-
alecky voice. Behind them Ben chuckled softly.
"Bite me!" Sam hissed back and lit one of the white, vanilla scented candles.
Dean sniffed the air and grinned at Sam. "Seriously?"
"Shut up, it was all they had at the store...!"
Dean held up his hands in surrender.
Ben tried to cover his chuckle with a cough when Sam glared at him. The younger brother took a deep breath and tried to focus. "You got your notes?"
"You mean my lines? Yeah." Dean pulled out a ridiculously crumbled piece of paper from his pocket and flattened it against his thigh before holding it in front of him with a sniff and a nod. "Ready to go when you are, Francis."
Sam sighed again and rolled his neck to get rid of the kinks. "Alright. Ben, will you turn of the lights please?" A soft click sounded and the room was bathed in the warm light from six candles. They lit up a circle around the two brothers. Sam cleared his throat and held up his own notes. "I call thee, evil spirit, cruel spirit, merciless spirit." His voice was deep and calm.
"I call thee, Eagentci who sits in the cemetery and takes away healing from man." Dean said in a deep cadence.
"Go place a knot in Onondakai's head, in his eyes, in his mouth, in his tongue, in his throat, in his windpipe." Sam continued.
"If you do not heed my prayer I will send you the evil angels Puziel, Psidiel, Guziel, Prziel." Dean's deep voice rumbled through the gloomy room.
"I call thee to quickly place these six knots in Onondakai and bind him." Sam took a deep breath and whispered, "…because I wish it," Before he released it slowly. "Amen."
"Amen."
"Selah." Sam's almost soundless blessing drifted through the room. A quiet wind blew,
almost as an answer to his blessing and made the candles flicker. After the quick whoosh the room silenced. The flickering candles stilled and they returned to their former vanilla-oozing glory. Sam held his breath for a second and waited for something to happen.
"That was it?" He asked, fanning the room.
Ben flicked on the lights while Sam blew out the candles.
"That was the binding spell?" Dean sighed and got out of his crouched position on the floor. He ran a hand down his face and muffled something Sam suspected was more
mockery.
"That was it," He confirmed. "It wasn't so bad, was it?" He smiled when an old memory popped into his mind. "Not like the time where you punched the doctor because he tried
to give you a shot-"
"Sam!" Dean barked.
He shrugged. "Just saying."
"Yeah! An' I'm just saying, I think this is crap. We have no way of knowing if the spell
worked."
"I think it did." Sam said calmly.
"You think?! I'm sorry, but if we're sending a kid in there you better be damn sure!"
"I am sure, Dean!"
"Uh, guys?"
"Stay out, Ben!" Dean barked. "I'm not sending him in if you don't know if the spell worked or not?!"
"Why wouldn't it?!"
Dean glared disbelievingly. "Why would it!?-"
"Remember the part about me not staying behind no matter what?"
"Ben, quiet!" Dean barked again.
Sam tensed his jaw till it gave a little squeak. "Dean, I'm not going to do anything to put him in danger." He took a step forward and held his hands pleadingly. "I won't let it get to him. I really do think this works." He pleaded with his brother to have faith. One look was all it took for Dean to calm.
He looked at Sam's begging, puppy-dog eyes and slumped. He blew out a huff with a tiny purse of his lips. "Any sign of trouble I want him out of there." He held up a finger. Why the hell do I even bother? Not like Sam will listen to me. Not like BEN will listen to me…
"Promise-"
"I thought we were going in there, looking for trouble?" Ben looked from one brother to the other. "I mean that's the point of hunting, right?"
Sam and Dean shared an exhausted glare and turned. "You need to get your things and get ready. We're leaving in five minutes." Dean said before slamming the door to the bathroom. Ben desperately tried to catch the tall hunter's eyes, but failed when Sam turned and headed to load up the car.
Ben was caught off guard by a sudden, overwhelming nervousness.
He had hunted before. Scarier stuff than a little trickster. Why was this getting to him? He had a second to miss Keo and the way his friend always brought some kind of relief and serenity. Keola had a way of sensing if Ben was worried or nervous. He shrugged the thought off and grabbed his new shotgun when Dean exited the bathroom.
Dean caught the nervous look on the young man, but Ben was too quick. He was out the door before Dean even opened his mouth.
They left the room, fully packed. Dean had promised to return Ben after the hunt and that meant immediately after in his mind. He closed the door and studied the view of his brother's tall frame leaning against the impala. Ben sliding up next to his brother and the two men basking in the setting sun before Dean would join them.
An old memory popped into Dean's mind. A memory not unlike this one. A moment many years ago not long after his father had died. Dean and Sam had shared a moment one late afternoon. The sun had glowed in the exact same way it did now. It was right after Dean left Gordon tied down. A big mistake that they had later paid for. Dean remembered how his life had changed so little and yet so profoundly after that one hunt. Everything stopped being black and white. Vampires were no longer bad by definition and angles would later turn out to be the bane of his and Sam's existence.
At first it had seemed like a curse. He remembered doubting his decisions and wondering if the things he killed really deserved killing. It later turned out that the shift in perspective was what saved not only his, but his brother's life too when angles turned out to be the enemy and demons became friends in arms.
He watched the two men as he trudged to the driver's side and lingered for a moment.
The passenger and backseat doors slammed closed and Dean stared into the setting sun for a second. Enjoying the burn as he closed his eyes. He was still afraid that he was making a mistake by bringing Ben, but time would tell if it led to disaster or perhaps changed his life all over again? He wasn't sure which one he feared the most.